1. Field of Invention:
This invention relates generally containing humanoid or animal-like figures or shaped objects, and more particularly to a package in which the body of the figure or object is formed of flexible foam plastic material that is highly compressible, making it possible to shrink the object to a degree where can be stuffed into a stall container.
2. Status of Prior Art:
My prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,418 entitled "Test Tube Doll Package" discloses a doll packaged in a test tube, the doll being constituted by a figure of a baby formed of open-cell, flexible-foam plastic material whose compressibility is such that when the baby doll is squeezed into a shrunken form and thereafter released, it recovers its normal shape and size. When the doll is compressed, air is expelled therefrom and the doll is then in a shrunken state so that it can be stuffed into the test tube which is then sealed by a stopper. To play with the doll, the stopper is removed and the shrunken figure is taken out of the test tube, the doll then inhaling air to recover its normal size and shape.
My copending application, above-identified, entitled "Package Containing Shrunken Figure" discloses a similar package except that the shrunken body which may be in the form of a figure or other shaped object, is stuffed into a small container whose form is thematically related to the body.
A flexible foam body shaped to create a humanoid or animal-like figure can be produced in relatively large sizes suitable for play. Were it possible to shrink a large figure of this type so that it could be stuffed into a relatively small container, then when the stuffed figure is removed from the container and springs back to life to recover its normal size and shape, the effect of this transformation would be highly dramatic.
But this effect cannot be achieved with a shaped body formed of conventional open-cell, foam plastic material, even with of low-density material. Foam plastics range in density from less than one pound per cubic foot to more than fifty pounds. These plastics, when flexible, range in cellular formation from open or interconnecting cells to closed cells.
A shaped body in accordance with the invention is formed of open-cell, flexible foam plastic material, hence this body is compressible and may therefore be caused to shrink. Compression acts to expel air from the open cells of the foam, and thereby collapse the cells to shrink the body.
The usual technique for producing open-cell, flexible-foam material, such as polyurethane, is to bring about an interaction between a polyester resin and a diisocyanate which then reacts with water to form a urethane polymer. Since carbon dioxide is generated in this reaction, this gas acts to foam the urethane resin to render it cellular.
A shaped figure formed of very low density flexible foam material can, by compression, be shrunk to a fraction of its original size and can therefore be stuffed into a very small container. But a very low density foam plastic figure is not acceptable as a play doll, for it is unduly soft and light and therefore insubstantial. But a similar figure formed of medium density foam plastic material would be sufficiently firm and substantial to function as a play doll. However, this medium density flexible-foam plastic figure, though compressible, cannot be shrunk to a sufficient degree to be stuffed into a very small container.
The shrinkability of a flexible, open-cell foam-plastic material depends on the amount of plastic included in the material relative to the amount of air entrapped therein. In conventional foam plastics, the open cells thereof are all of similar size and are distributed throughout the material. In a low-density foam, the cells are relatively large and the material is therefore more shrinkable than high density foam in which the cells are much finer. But low-density foams are not suitable for forming play dolls, for the reasons previously given.